Greetings! My group is in an interesting situation, and I'm hoping for some advice.
The current DM for our game has set things up so that each of the PCs has an item, recently infused with some mystical material (McGuffin from first session). He has stated that when this material is infused into your 'special item' (selected before the game began), that item begins its trip into becoming Legendary. The sort of things that become McGuffins many years down the road, and stories are told of the great things you have done with it.
Anyways, there are three people in our group. A sorceror, a fighter/rogue, and my character, a monk (1 lvl unarmed fighter, 5 lvls Master of the Four Winds).
The magic user's 'special item' was a rapier, and now bequeths a +1 caster level as long as he has it on his body. The fighter's item is his amulet, which will now give him a +5 stackable Nat Armor bonus for one round, three times a day as an immediate action, and a constant +1 on his to-hits/damage/CMB rolls.
My item is a nine-section chain. And we are having trouble finding the right combination of useful things for the chain so that it matches the power of the other two (we are using the +1 caster level as the gauge, as the closest thing we can find to that is the ioun stone that costs 30,000 gp).
After much debating, it currently does this: 2/day cast Barkskin on yourself, 2/day cast shield on yourself, and after one minute of meditation the chain can change its metal types. Caster Level = Monk level.
But it just doesn't seem to us that these abilities match the shear power of the +1 Caster Level and all the things that provides.
So I am looking for suggestions. Do you think these items are about equal? That one or more is too weak when compared to the others? Anything you would add or change to the chain?
My monk does do a lot or trip attempts followed by Ki Throws, and he is following the Crane Stance path of feats (this path helps you out when you fight defensively).
Thoughts?
I'd have the chain just provide a static shield bonus to ac, probably +4. The fighters weapon sucks though.
Have a function where it can be wrapped around your fist(s)/arm(s) and any enhancement bonus now count toward your unarmed attacks, along with DR bypass for the metal type?
Or maybe let it also be able to be thrown at an enemy and (have a chance to) entangle/grapple /pin said enemy. Ranged incapacitation, letting you move on to another foe.
Or combine he two. On a successful attack them item can entangle /grapple /pin the target, but you would lose the benefit to unarmed attacks.
There was a monk in the old Enemies and Allies book for 3.x that had Nunchuks made from the thighbones of the Revered Master who founded his order.
They were something like +1 lawful weapons.
Possible abilites:
-Treat your BAB as equal to your character level.
-Infinite Ki (combine Infinite Ki with Slow Time... MUAHAHA. If you ever get a wish, this is it!) or Extra Ki equal to your Monk level.
-Once per day, the metal of the chains morphs and expands to cover your body. You gain the benefits of the Iron Body spell, CL equal to your Character Level. However, your unarmed strike and speed remain unchanged.
-Elemental Fury, whenever you use Elemental Fist, roll double the amount of elemental damage.
-Expertise of Battle, your Monk levels count as Fighter levels for purposes of feat selection.
-Chain acts as a Monk's Belt treating your speed, AC bonus, and unarmed strike damage as 5 levels higher.
-Alternative to the Infinite/Extra Ki, Reduced Ki, pay only half Ki points when using your Monk abilities. In fact, your chain might even start out with Extra Ki, then gain Reduced Ki, followed by Infinite Ki.
I could probably come up with a lot more, but I figure I'd let others help too.
To further describe my character. His unarmed damage is 1d8 and his elemental fist deals 2d6 energy damage. The chain whip is also 1d8 damage, and is a distracting (+2 to bluff checks), blocking (+1 sheild bonus when fighting defensively), monk (can be used with flurry of blows)weapon. The chain only has a +1 to hit above my fist due to it being masterwork. Until I get enough to start enhancing it with bonuses, that will be it.
I should mention that it takes a ki point each time I cast the spells from the chain.
he could wrap it around his hand for a +4 effective monk bonus to calculate unarmed damage.
wrap it around your body (shoulder, across your chest) +4 to intimidate
wear it as a belt and it functions +1 temporary hp per lvl in monk (regenerates when you've slept 8 hours).
Thanks for the suggestions! (This is MDR001, I'm playing with Aliases and am not sure how this will show when I post)
Egoish
I do like the +4 shield bonus, especially since it is very hard to get that type of bonus as a monk. Are you suggesting that in place of the abilities the chain currently has, in addition to it (meaning a switch for the 2/day shield ability)?
Do you have any ideas for the fighter/rogue?
Marus
Your idea about the enhancement bonus to my unarmed strike has merit, but won't really be effective for a while. It currently only has the basic +1 for being masterwork, and will probably be a while before I can buff that up.
I haven't really thought about grappling people with it. As my character's 'special weapon', I'm not sure he would willingly throw it like that during battle. I'll have to think about it. Thanks!
sunbeam
I'm afraid I just do not see making the weapon a Lawful weapon is all that powerful. That might just be my inexperience with using aligned items though. :)
Tels
I'm going to send the link to this thread to my group, so they can read what people are suggesting. But a few thoughts and some of what you wrote...
I think the Infinite Ki idea might be overpowered at this level. That would allow me to, every turn, either get an extra attack at full bonus, move an additional 20', or gain a +4 dodge bonus (which admittidly doesn't stack with my dodge feat I'm guessing). Same thing with reducing the ki costs. All my ki costs = 1, so that would essentially be infinite when you divide by 2 and round down. :)
Elemntal Fury sounds interesting. The fact it adds to an unarmed strike only does nerf some potential craziness.
Richard Leonhart
A +4 to each unarmed strike is indeed powerful, and could add 8 extra damage if I hit with both attacks during a flurry of blows. That could add up fast.
The intimidate thing...well, that is not going to happen. My char has a -2 to CHA checks, and no points in Intimidate (had to have a dump stat :) ). He simply doesn't intimidate. I actually rollplay this.
Some thoughts I have come up with, what do you think?
- The chain is now both a reach and non-reach weapon (could be dangerous since I have combat reflexes)
- +2 to CMB checks as long as it is on my person (the DM came up with this one, and likes it. I do like it as well, I just never saw it as all that powerful when compared)
- +2 to attack rolls when fighting defensively (kinda plays into the 'blocking' aspect of the chain, and synergizes with my crane stance)
- instead of trip, I can chose to use the trip and ki throw skills (including all bonuses and penalties as described for trip and improved ki throws) to instead grapple and pin the enemy (thanks Marus for the idea! This could be fun!)
Yeah, anything the helps your monk bypass DR is a great boon now that there are no "unarmed" weapons.
blackbloodtroll wrote: Yeah, anything the helps your monk bypass DR is a great boon now that there are no "unarmed" weapons. What do you mean, there are no 'unarmed' weapons? I do not quite follow...
The best magic item for a Monk is Adidas of Jackie Chan. These magical slippers let a Stunt Monk do just about anything.
He means that you cant have metal fists, or silver gloves or +1 flaming knuckles.....all you have is your KI pool and a your fist.
See here
Well, tonight the GM came to us with his final decision on the items and their abilties. He removed all current bonuses bestowed, and gave these...
The mage's rapier gives a +1 to caster level. He also can get his blood on the blade and it gives him +2 per 3 levels to hit for one minute. If he already has blood on him from being hit, he can just rub it on, otherwise he has to stab himself with it.
The fighter get +1 on his to-hit and CMB rolls. Twice a day he can, as an immediate action, give himself +2 per 3 levels Natural Armor bonus for one round, that stacks with other natural armor bonuses. He is level six, so that means he can give himself +4 nat armor bonus twice a day for one round.
My chain now gives +1 on my to-hit and CMB rolls, plus twice a day as a swift action I gain +2 per 3 levels to my CMB checks for one round. I am level 6, so that means twice a day I can gve myself +4 to my CMB checks.
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